Ei to invest £1.4m in new Craft Union site

Union trade: the Grade II-listed Wakefield & Barnsley Union Bank will become Craft Union's third site in Wakefield

Ei Group is set to transform the Grade II-listed Wakefield & Barnsley Union Bank building on Westgate, Wakefield, in its latest Craft Union venue.

The historic West Yorkshire site, which dates back to 1874, will be transformed into the Union Bank, Craft Union’s third pub in Wakefield, joining the Strafford Arms and the Raven.

The site will also house the Craft Union Pub Company support team and a suite of training and meeting facilities for use by the wider Ei Group known as the Pub Support Hub – which will generate 20 jobs for the local area.

Magnificent building

Since its inception in May 2015, Craft Union, part of Ei Managed Operations, has grown a nationwide estate of 285 pubs.

As reported by The Morning Advertiser​, in a trading update for the 18 weeks to 2 February 2019, Ei Group set out plans to expand its estate of managed pubs to 460 sites – an increase of 62 sites​ at the time of writing.

“We were determined to stay true to our northern roots when finding a suitable new site for our Craft Union support team, which is currently located in Preston,” Craft Union’s operations director Frazer Grimbleby commented.

“We’re excited about the Craft Union support team working alongside our colleagues from the wider Ei Group above one of our flagship pubs.”

“The group’s ethos is to invest in great-quality pubs at the heart of local communities,” Ei Group’s chief executive officer Simon Townsend added. “The Union Bank is a magnificent building that we’re very much looking forward to revitalising.

“Our people are the most important part of our business and this new space allows us to give them a base for the support and training they need to continually deliver exceptional customer experiences, share best practice and enhance their own personal development.”

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